Palermo’s golden Serie D run comes to an end with first loss to Serie B powerhouse

Sooner or later it had to happen. Against Venezia, Palermo interrupted the positive streak against the top four teams in the Serie B, putting an end to a run that had seen the rosanero never lose against Parma, Cremonese, Como and, indeed, Venezia. With 6 previous victories, including 3 wins and 3 draws, Palermo faced the match against the lagunari with the awareness of always performing well against the “big teams”, at least until Friday evening when a heavy defeat arrived. A resounding 3-0 loss for Palermo, which also risked taking a thrashing. A defeat that therefore ends one of the few positive notes of this season.

The flawless journey against the top four had started precisely from Venezia, on September 26 when Brunori unleashed his fury at the Penzo. The captain scored a “perfect” hat-trick, with three goals scored – one with his right foot, one with his left foot, and one with his head. An all-round performance that led Palermo to an away victory in the first big match of the season. Then, the confirmation came at the home of the team that is literally dominating the championship, namely Parma under Pecchia. Once again, it was Brunori who paved the way for the rosanero, scoring a splendid brace that put Palermo two goals ahead in a stunned Tardini. A goal from over 40 meters and a curling shot with his right foot that Chichizola couldn’t stop. Then, a vehement reaction from the home team brought the score unbelievably level, despite the rosanero being ahead by two goals until the 90th minute, at 3-1. A 3-3 final result that, however, gave more confidence to a team that knew how to excel against the “big” teams.

The perfect result was not achieved even in the away match against Como, despite another stellar performance by the rosanero, who were leading by a goal at the 91st minute with total control of the match. However, Marconi’s naivety led to a penalty for Como, and with Verdi, they found the equalizer at 3-3. A few days later, Palermo took revenge against Cremonese, who surrendered to Stulac’s free kick in the 97th minute for a 3-2 victory at Barbera. The home stadium was lucky again in the match against Como: a one-sided 3-0 win that had propelled Palermo to third place. The streak also continued at the Zini against Cremonese, in a match that ended 2-2 but felt like a bitter disappointment due to the turnaround from 0-2 to a draw with the grigiorossi down to ten men. Friday marked the end of this undefeated cycle. And also the certification that Palermo is no longer up to the level of those ahead of them.